Amidst the Dark Moonlight
by Billyez
Summary: A bard is lost to werewolves, but saved by a young Breton woman, both are left unaware to his connections to the island of Solstheim, and the dangers of the Dark Moonlight..
1. Moonlight

This is the first fanfiction I've brought onto , and to tell you the truth, it really isn't all that. I actually don't know all that much about Morrowind, but hey, there's probably worse fanfiction on here. So, read, enjoy, and please forgive me if my request to enjoy my work seems impossible, pretty good for a fifteen year-old though, right?

-Billyez

_Chapter 1: Moonlight_

I couldn't remember exactly what was driving me at the moment.

Was it curiosity? Was it desperation? Didn't matter anyway. I had to think about the here and now. I needed to focus on my bleeding leg, and the damned beasts that were still chasing me through the night. Vampires I could deal with, I had turned that into an _art_ for goodness' sake. These beasts were a different story; most vampires were easily spotted, and most were just bloodthirsty demons that lunged at you like they were just begging to be tossed away. On this forsaken island I had been stranded on I didn't know what to go on. Werewolves? Bah!

_Werewolves _

I placed my hand in the bag that had been with me for half my life and carried my most precious goods. At least thirty throwing stars were in there. I was surprised that I had not made any of my fingers begin to bleed because of my fumbling inside that handbag. It was instinct, I smiled, at least I had that left in me. I was in a bad situation; anything would've made me happy at the moment. Now the trouble was building off of that.

I sighed, and a howl chilled the air around me.

"Damn it." I sighed, my breath chilled before my eyes as it escaped me. I sent five stars fizzing away into the night, and by the screech that soared like my silver weapons had, I knew I had hit my mark. I had no time to celebrate; the snow was my own enemy. Of all the areas I had not been trained upon to tread easily, snow had not been a necessity. I wondered again why I had decided to go through with this. Once again, I realized it didn't matter. A Redguard male, with no parents, and no future, that's what he had said.

I didn't matter.

I looked around my surroundings; they were like wolves at least. If it were not for my training I would have known nothing about their positions, but even so, there are times when I wish I had not been so articulate in my studies, ignorance is bliss at times. I had to weigh my options while I had the time but it was tough to focus; the beasts had killed Zatron. The whole caravan was gone, as were my arsenal except for these few gleaming stars that I clung too, my cover was gone, but that was the last thing on my mind. They had killed Zatron, and now they were going to kill me. That was the order of my worries, oddly enough despite my own instinct; there was a small willingness to live, perhaps, more than I had wished.

I brought out my hand, and saw a prick of blood coming down from one of my fingers. At that moment is when they came at me; I knew now what kinds of creatures they were. Smart, they had surrounded the clearing that would be the place of my death. I approached it with apathy.

They were human-like; the fur that cloaked their bodies was that black fur that only a wolf had, and only a few were running on all fours, the others ran with ferocious speed. Not to say the ones who were going with their primal desires were not equally speedy. My hands worked like clockwork.

Three fell as two stars were buried in their chests.

They howled and raised their heads at the moon in their agony, it was a moon song

Beautiful

The best thing to hear before one should die.

I shook my feeling off and ended their notes short with three more stars; each ones hit their spot, their throat. They feel with a thud on the snow, motionless, yet the others were not mourning but coming faster. They were pushing me into the forest, I moved so my back would be to the hill; I was fully aware that either way, they would close in on me eventually. My belief was that I would be able to bring down more in my desperation where I could see all of them on higher ground, than in the forest, there own domain.

What I didn't realize was that, well, this whole damned _island_ was their domain. Five more flicks of my wrist and three more of the creatures fell, not slain, as I could see as the other ones I had brought down were slowly getting up. I grunted in disappointment, I felt Zatron shaking his head at me; I was being careless, that's what he would've said. Even at this moment however, I could see nothing wrong with my actions, except for the few that brought me here. Nothing was stopping these accursed beasts.

"By the stars won't you ever die?" I yelled, and the last of my stars fell to the ground as I fell to the ground and screamed in stark, otherworldly surprise. My blood stained the ground, and before I could straighten up and face the beast before me he tore into my shoulder, and I screamed in pain as the blood flew in the air and my own blood came into my mouth as he brought me up in the air with the fangs buried into my flesh, and then there was darkness.


	2. Awakening

Chapter 2: Awakening 

"Is that all?" She asked. The young Breton woman moved swiftly through the snow towards the cabin, her green eyes seemed hardened by her down-to-earth nature and her brown hair was cut to her shoulders. Beautiful, but serious, honestly, she wasn't my real cup of tea. I grunted out a yes, but even that caused a few ripples of pain to arise in my shoulder. She took note of it, I saw, with her eyes as her heavy bear skin boots came upon the cabin steps. She blinked once and moved on with the logs she bore to her chest. It was obvious that she didn't care. Which kept me coming back to the same conclusion…or really the same question. Why was she keeping me here then if I was of no use to her?

Not like I was in any situation not to accept charity, I had been beaten pretty badly, and I didn't to dwell upon the nightmare. There was a particular reason why, and of course I had kept it out of my story. It was the song that the wolves sewed together with the moonlight. _See,_ I told myself, _it's that stuff right there, you're a bard, but you don't ever really talk like that._ Correction, I don't talk like that to bloodthirsty monsters.

I had been giving the woman bits and pieces of my story as the days went passed. From the time we both sat near the fireplace, where I had awoken feverish and slightly delusional, until now, where I had finally reached the end of the disastrous tale. I sighed deeply and saw my own breath come out before me. I was depressed alright, vampires were not easy work, by far, but I knew I had read up on how werewolves usually acted on Solstheim and so far this was not the norm.

"We'll have to check out that caravan." She said all of a sudden, coming out of the house and closing the door behind her, "You want to come back in?"

"There's nothing left, it's a slaughter. It…it was a slaughter."

"I understand that, Redguard, but still, this is my land, and I wish to know which company was driving upon my trails without permission." I turned my face in disbelief and my anger formed by the woman's sheer rudeness.

"You save me, I appreciate that, by the way, although I would've readily accepted my fate, when it comes it's beyond me." I took a breath, and she kept staring into space, "but first off, I think you should worry more about helping me get into contact with my relatives around here rather than a caravan that's now covered in it's own driver's blood."

I took a couple of breaths, and placed my hand near the scar that was covered with bandages on my chest. A moment of silence intercepted my train of thought as an effect, which the woman used to get her two bits in.

"What's the second thing?" She said with offhand ease.

I looked right into her eyes from the place where I was sitting, and answered, "Don't call me Redguard, the name's Isude. Isude Navarendel if you wish to be specific."

"I don't."

"Alright, that's fine with me," I replied, and then brought out my trump card, "but see if I ever give you any loot from my share of the journey."

"What loot?"

Isuccessfully fought back a smile, and spun a tale that would've made any bard of the trade nod in agreement of how skilled I was in my ways. The way it went officially was that I was delivering a rather large amount of septims, and some other antiques and instruments of interest that a man who did not bear the same honesty as me would have jumped at the opportunity to steal. I explained that I said nothing was left because I did not wish to rob from the dead, but hey, if a beautiful young woman saved my life…

"I did not save your life."

"Alright, well, you sure helped me out. Besides, I didn't see how you could do it alone anyway. I kind of put two and two together on that one."

"The name's Arwell." I nodded in surprise and in weakness…all this chatter was getting to me it seemed.

"Well, that sure is nice to know…who saved me by the way?"

"A group of hunters in the new settlement."

"Why don't you live there? It seems pretty dangerous to live here by yourself."

"Werewolves aren't stupid, most…keep to themselves if you do."

Before I could issue out a protest to this statement, and I would've with incredible vigor, the woman grabbed the chair, and with a grace and speed that I was happy to know of (seeing as how she did it without bothering my wounds and issuing out a torrent of pain) she placed me inside the house. Her next action, moving my body from the chair into the bed was not as well thought out and my scream of pain brought that fact out as well I ever could have.

"Stop your squabbling, there's no other way." I promptly went to sleep afterward until a man's voice began to bring me out of my slumber.

"Arwell! Arwell!" The voice was getting closer, I flicked my eyes open and saw Arwell get up from her perch on the chair reading one of her books and move toward the door.

"Who is it?" At this, she looked in my direction and I quickly closed my eyes and came so close to sleep that I believe in that moment that I actually did fall asleep for a fair moment. The fact that she had opened the door and grabbed her sword when I opened my eyes again seemed to prove this fact.

"An attack? A werewolf attack?"

"Yes Lady Arwell, I don't know why but it just…"

"How many Nords are there at Fair Noon?"

"Not many, most are moving to the bigger settlements."  
She cursed and ran out, and then I was alone, the unsettling thought that entered my mind because of the words I had heard bothered me, but I still found a way to sleep…a howl awoke me.

"NO!" I said, and as if on cue the door broke down and on all fours lay one of the beasts.

"You accursed demon, die!" I yelled and leapt from the bed, as I cast a spell to knock him from the door, it was well honed and found it's mark, but two more burst against the walls, and nearly came through, and I found myself falling on the floor in pain. Then they came through, and I bore a tool that had been laid near the fire to move the embers into of their chests, he cried out in pain and then…

_FALL_

Don't fall now! You have a chance, the thing lay dead, and the second one was struck dumbfounded for but a moment, now was my chance. I began the incantation.

**_FALL_**

I writhed in pain as the disembodied voice charged itself into my body and I did indeed fall to my knees, a strong swipe knocked me to the ground, and again, I was felt the razor sharp teeth dig into me, this time on the leg, and I felt my self fade away…as I was dragged off, the last thing I felt was the cold, unsympathetic snow come onto my chin and nothing.


	3. Darkness

Chapter 3: Darkness 

The men fled before me, but I gave chase, what made them think that they could escape? They were foolish mortals of course, it made no difference to me whether they lived or died, but as long as they wished to allow me to give chase, I would not let a good meal go unnoticed…how they had reached my humble abode I did not care to wander too much about. After all, what was the use of that? Several Nords who had gone treasure hunting in the wrong cave…who would know that they would be my feast to savor this ancient bloodlust that had not pined me after them.

Through the snow, through the woods, I hid behind the trees, the darkness was my immortal apprentice and my tool to quench my hunger, but it would be these fools' utter demise. I gave them fair symbols of hope. They looked back, heavy with breath, and I waited, their axes glowed with silver, I snorted at them in discontent. However, there fear was still clinging to them, and they still laid hold to their weapons.

Am I dreaming…? 

I looked at my hands and saw the fur that had encompassed all nights before this. I was so tired, so tired of fighting it. It was so easy to go with Hircine, to listen to call of the wolves that echoed through the night, and as if on cue, I heard a howl ring through the night, and without hesitation I moved with the speed I had never known I had. The direction of the howls had disconcerted the circle of protection the Nords had made themselves into. Each would face a direction, each bearing weapons with cold, but determined hands.

_No…please…I don't want this._

Yes, yes, I did indeed want it, it was a tough fight as I knew it would be. Though they had brought their weapons down for but a moment in their surprise it would take half that time to bring it up again for a Nord of somewhat redeemable strength. My frenzy however was otherworldly, and I found myself staring in awe for but a second at my work afterwards. For the moment however, I found my claws digging into the neck of one of the older Nords, one of the stronger ones I could tell. The Alpha.

_I…I don't understand, this must be a mirage, a nightmare._

Blood spurted and splattered on my fur and onto the unforgiving snow and as some bellowing instinct within me knew, the other two Nords were taken aback at the vicious sight of their lead companion falling onto the ground motionless, I howled and leapt onto the youngest of them and his cry was short-lived as my teeth gladly sinked into his flesh and my claws dug into his back. Ah, the taste of it! By the Daedra what had I missed, it was a taste I had never known!

_God…help me…I can bear no more of this massacre._

_**Ah, but you must.**_

It hummed through the air as I moved swiftly from my prey. I had known the fury of seeing his Alpha _(his companion you murderer) _would drive him mad and I had sensed him…ah, I had _sensed_ him! How empowered I was! **_(You must feel it…) _**I moved with ease and ducked under the his second swing before I plunged both of my hands into his chest, his armor cracked as I tore through it with my claws _(hands) _and ripped the man open with hands before chewing into his flesh. As I felt it rush within me, and I felt the inevitable come over me, and the others close in, the others like me. I wondered what I had lost…for I knew there was something, but I felt nothing but gladness and wonder, and I howled to the moon, and that was all.

_**You must feel that which has always been there.**_

I woke up. It was a cave. That was all I could tell. Little else could describe my surroundings. My head swam, and my body ached, all I could move was my eyes, and even those were hard to keep open. A fire was lit…and it was still dark I could see from the opening of this maw that I had been left in. I tried to turn my head towards the fire, but I was unable to do so. I could not even grunt in displeasure. Then again, I was comfortable enough, next to fire, under a blanket, if it was not for my dire situation, I would have taken into account how well taken I was with it. Mainly, because I had slept in much nastier places before, I would irk one to realize that the basement of a bar was worse than a cave near Gnisis any day.

"He is awake." A voice spoke deeper in the cave.

"He would be, although it took him longer than the others."

"Who should speak to him?"

"Let me do it." A different voice, and a hushed reply…it was a deeper voice.

"I do not think that would bode well with the others."

"Fine, choose one to be with me while I speak with him." Another silence.

"Thunderveil shall be the one then to accompany you." A snort gave the reply following this better than the answer.

"As you wish."

Then, the darkness conquered me once more.


	4. Mystery

Whew, sorry it's been a while. The story was not taking a nice turn and I found myself deciding to leave this thing to die. However, instead of moving on, I thought it would be better to abandon the previous Chapter 4 and make a new one on the spot today. It worked out rather well. Before, I was pounding Isude with way too much information, and I didn't like how I was building up his development or the story here.

The story will be taking a much faster pace from here on if I get my way. Look out for my Metal Gear Solid 3 novelization soon after this is done! I just don't want to leave this unfinished, I'll leave plenty of things undone, but I'm trying to make my writing not one of them.

Thanks for the reviews! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4: Mystery

She was in a moment of deep distress. Not the kind of thing that you would understand if you were a damsel snatched by some evil knight, but rather, the distress of one who realizes all that there's a threat against everything you've ever cared about of held dear to your heart. As such, she reacted accordingly, or she would have, if the werewolves had not been long gone by the time she got there.

"Casualties?" She asked a guard who seemed to be one of the few who kept had kept his composure.

"N-none…ma'm." She turned her head away from the crestfallen villagers who walked as one did in the first stages of confusion and disarray and looked the guard straight in his eyes, although she had to sigh and raise his chin up with her hand before she could do so.

"None?"

"None…it was like nothing I've seen b-before. They were so quick and powerful, none of us could touch them…they were…they were playing with us." She looked at the snow, listened to the soft breeze and thought and calculated the odds of the fear that was beginning to dig into her heart.

She began trudging away from the scene of the villagers. She walked past the guards who sat proceeding to deal with the usual necessities of the times after a battle. Bandaging wounds, healing the unlucky of the dreaded curse, and some were trying to keep up high spirits with songs and stories of past grandeur, but Arwell could tell that even those voices had an inherent shakiness to them. She quickened her pace until she began to run to her destination. When she arrived at the small house covered with snow, surrounded by tall trees at the outskirts of town, she promptly kicked the door open and unsheathed her sword.

The only thing that seemed out of place was the door that rested with a slam on the floor. A fire was crackling in front of her. The one room shack had a table, cabinets, a single bed in the corner and two chairs.

"You bastard!" She screamed, "Come out!"

When she turned around and saw the stain on the floor, she didn't take much notice to it and quickly ran out. The stain, under further inspection, was the faint trace of blood. It had seeped into the wood, and remained the only sign that a man had once lived there, a man who now lay deep in the snow, far from Arwll's sight. This man had been a well-liked guard, at least if you could get past the fact that he enjoyed his solitude a bit too much.

This man had been the one who had told Arwell of the attack, and he also held all of her suspicions. There were plenty of soldiers at the village, enough to defend it for some time. Surprise had seized her heart, and she didn't think of that, or of the coincidence that it would happen just as soon as he had brought the Isude to her cabin those days before the attack. Whatever motivation he had for his vile deeds, she no longer cared. All she wanted was his head. This my friends, was her motivation.

She knew where he would be, and ran to her own cabin, when she arrived, she was already short of breath. So when she saw her crushed home, her knees fell despite any complaints and protests she might have used against the act. She didn't protest it at all however, and soon her hands were digging into the snow, balling into fists, and her sword also lay on the ground, as it had fallen from her hand.

"What's going on? Tell me…what is happening?" She whispered to herself. Her desperation was so deep, and her confusion so piercing to her mind and heart, that she did not hear the beast trudging behind her, she could do nothing as it's furry hand went over her mouth and dragged her into the forest.

This is where she also meet her our hero, and once again hear the story through his eyes once more.


	5. Moonsong

I refused to let my life end like this.

The wind itself seemed to be against me…the chilly air showed no remorse for my wounds as a steady breeze built up here and there, irritating me to no end. How long had it been since I had been captured? Long enough for me to forget my mission…well, not that long anyway. I felt fine though, and so I began to plot to escape. My shirt had been stripped away, sometime in between my sleep, and so my body had been left to the elements. It was almost dark out, and I knew what I had to do. I had to run when the vile things were beginning to change into their true forms. I had enough sense to know that during their transformation they were their weakest. Human weapons wouldn't feel natural in the hands of such abominations, so I could easily grab their weapons and smite them. Yet a voice in my head kept telling me not to worry, just to rest, go back to sleep…as I had for quite while. Each time I saw the same delusion, the same dream, and each time it felt better and it got longer with more killing…

I shook the feeling off…there was no other chance for me to escape alive except for tonight. I had heard stories of how the mind is bent when in such trying times as these, but how could I ever enjoy sleep at a time like this? I had the strength to run, and I could strike enough of the beasts down to make an escape if I got up. I began to steadily move towards the caves entrance. I knew one thing; I would not lose my humanity in such a way. If so, it would be _my_ choice.

I kept moving. My back against the wall, my breathing slowed, so as not to attract attention. Then, I made my break out into the snow and began to run into the woods. I remembered from the first incident with these monsters. Being out in the open was not a good idea. They were smart and I smiled in spite of my situation. They obviously weren't smart enough. Where were they? Probably chasing down some poor man. As cold as it sounds, I could've cared less. I knew one thing for sure, that man wasn't me. I ran harder then I ever had before in my life. Driven by fear, and by the happiness that comes when you realize that your distance from that fear is increasing.

"Uh…" I stopped to catch my breath for a moment. My body, however, had other plans. The mind could only push the body so far, and now it seemed no matter how much longer I pushed, it would no longer obey.

I rested against a tree, and slumped to my knees. I closed my eyes and resisted the urge to fall to the ground. I had to get moving again. I was so tired though…I've never been so tired in my life. That's when I heard a noise, and I felt energy rushing through my weary veins once again and stood up. I was about to run, until I saw what had toppled to the floor.

"Arwell?" I said startled.

"Yes," answered a looming figure, he came out of the dark wood, the moonlight illuminating his features. He had a blue tattoo on the side of his face, and brown eyes that flickered with bit of yellow. "The woman, she's alive, young one. What will you do?"

"You're a coward."

"Come now, I promise you that I there's a good reason for this." A howl erupted from all over. More followed, and the man smiled a wicked smiled.

"I won't let this happen."

"Really now, are you sure? Don't you hear the song?" I rushed him. I didn't know how fast he was. I crumpled to the ground, holding my stomach where he had landed his kick.

"I will spare her." If I could've spoken instead of gasping for air, I would've cursed his lie. "I will also spare you…my brother."

Then he howled, a strange, sensual sound, and then my eyes widened in realization. I was too late.

"No!" I screamed. I fell on the ground. I had failed, I could hear him laughing, the man. My brother. No…no I will not succumb to this.

Yet there was nothing that seemed to stop this curse that was coursing through my body. I screamed, I fought, and yet I knew what would bring me relief. I knew what would give me freedom. I could it clawing within me.

_Come with me…be one with me._

"Please, no.." I said weakly, and then I could no longer hold it, and my eyes found themselves centered on the moon and embracing the fate that would chain me to that cursed orb that hung in the night sky forever. I felt pain, pain more than anything. I looked at my hands, I cried as my bones changed shaped. I felt my face…stretch, and I heard my scream throughout the entire ordeal. Then it was over, and I opened my eyes to see the claws my fingers had become.

"Rise." The man said, and I did, and then I howled and I heard the beautiful song. Then I realized that the wolf was not in control, but I was the same. This was who I was. The werewolf in front of me grabbed Arwell with his claws and raised her up. She began to stir.

"I spared her. I never said you wouldn't." I didn't understand what he meant, until I felt the hunger surge through. It was a feeling more powerful than I had ever felt. "You know what you must do. It's your choice."

My choice, yes, it's my choice. This curse was a blessing. This was what I really was. No…what was wrong with me? Did I really believe that? I controlled everything here, I could do anything I wished…I controlled this. I would choose when and if I lost my humanity. Then I thought… what has humanity done for me besides chained me to life of servitude? A boy stripped from a young age and raised to do only one thing well, and that was to kill.

"Just one bite, that's all she needs to become like us." I didn't want that, I wanted to eat her. What was wrong with me? These were my thoughts…my thoughts, this was my life I would never do such at thing. Two more wolves came to us and dropped off two half-dead unarmed Nords. Bandits by the looks of it, and their eyes were wide with fear.

"Have them both."

I made my choice, my claws ripped into the first one's flesh and as his scream rose in the air, I cut it off by clamping my jaws over his throat. His blood splattered over my eyes, and my lust for his flesh was incredible. It did not possess me however, I knew what I was doing, and I enjoyed it. I ate him, and tore him alive, and then when the other fainted from seeing the gruesome sight, I did the same to him. I turned on Arwell and my jaws tore at her leg. She screamed in pain, and then to my surprise, she began to convulse, and I saw her disturbing transformation, how she fought it. I questioned why she did so, why didn't see let it overtake her? Why didn't she embrace it?  
She fought it no longer, and then she was before me. We stared at each other, and I found no anger in her eyes, just joy as she another bandit being held and I watched her eat him alive. Then we howled, howled under the dark moonlight for as long as we could.

The rest was a blur. There was screaming, death, and young ones being carried off to the caves along with others. They were to be turned I knew, to carry it on. Then there was the taste of flesh, more powerful than any other. The little village that Arwell had brought me too became nothing as the men had already died from the first attack.

I smiled as I saw one man charge at me with a stick, I launched towards his side and sank my teeth in his skin. He was to be carried off and be turned I decided. The screams were not screams, they were the cries of joy of others who would soon be with us.

They would join us in our song.

P.S. Holy crap, that scared even me. Alright, when I load this on it's going to be a…temporary ending. I can decide to develop the rest of my buried plot developments later, or leave it as is. It all depends on how I feel it seems. Hope my Dad doesn't read this, gee, a little too weird, eh?


End file.
